John Cena returns to the ring for WWE! PEOPLE has learned exclusively that the professional wrestler-turned-actor will announce on Friday that he is set to return to action in a singles match against Solo Sikoka on WWE The crown jewel premium live event on November 4th. It will be Cena’s first one-on-one match since then WrestleMania 39 in April. The Quick X star, 46, returned to WWE television in late August and appeared in only a handful of tag team matches. Last month, Cena also served as a special guest referee during WWE In return an event.
“Cena is energized by the idea of working with younger talent,” a WWE source told PEOPLE.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s Sudden WWE Return, John Cena Responds: ‘Welcome Home’
In his last singles match in WrestleMania 39, Cena lost to WWE newcomer Austin Theory. In recent weeks, the 16-time WWE World Champion has also gone head-to-head with other young superstars such as Sikoa and Grayson Waller on SmackDown.
Cena is scheduled to address the WWE crowd on Friday night’s episode SmackDownwhich airs live on FS1 at 8:00 PM ET from Milwaukee.
A WWE source tells PEOPLE that Cena has been “overwhelmed by the response from the WWE Universe” since returning for his final run with the wrestling company where he first debuted in 2002. “I’m grateful for every second,” the longtime WWE superstar chirped earlier this week as he reflected on his latest comeback.
WWE The crown jewel premium live event — pitting Cena against Sikoa, 30 — will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and air live on Peacock at 1:00 PM ET next Saturday.
John Cena.
Simon James/GC Images
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Sikoa, whose real name is Joseph Fatu, is a dominant new face in WWE and is part of the famous Anoa’i wrestling family, whose lineage includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, current undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and WWE Superstars Jimmy and Jey Uso, among other Hall of Fame wrestlers.
Cena, who is tied with Ric Flair for the most career WWE World Championships, has never retired from professional wrestling. However, his appearances on WWE television became less frequent as he began to find more success in Hollywood.
Since he began focusing more on acting, the West Newbury, Massachusetts native has landed roles in major film franchises such as Fast and furious and transformers as well as the titular role in Max’s Peacemaker. Recently, Cena appeared as Kenmaid in this summer’s film Barbie and Friends from vacation 2 as well as newly released Freelancer with Alison Brie.
Watch John Cena and Alison Brie Together in Action-packed ‘Freelance’ Trailer (Exclusive)
A lifelong professional wrestling fan, Cena told PEOPLE in 2021 that he started gaining weight as a young teenager due to bullying. “My passion for strength came from self-defense. I was often attacked because I was different in the way I dressed and expressed myself,” Cena said.
“Being an adolescent, social cliques form, and I didn’t fall into any of them. So, I got tired of being beaten up and asked my dad for a set of weights, and he gave me one at 13,” he continued. “I started working out and haven’t stopped since. My quest for strength probably lasted, I don’t know, until my mid-30s. And now I’m on a quest to get healthy, which is, hopefully, so that I can continue to be physically fit for the next 30, 40, 50 years of my life.”
Cena has since become one of the most successful professional wrestlers of all time — as well as one of the most inspiring. Last year, Cena broke the Guinness World Record for granted wishes — 650 in total — through Make-A-Wish.
“I’m really enjoying my life,” Cena said The Hollywood Reporter in that time. “It is a difficult job to coordinate the time I need to run properly. Being the best husband I can be to my beloved wife is hard work. It’s hard to maintain relationships with those in my life that I love, and it’s also hard to put in honest work.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education